F.E.A.R

Just finished FEAR. my first impression of the game was on my friends computer and it was a bad impression indeed. after that from my research i concluded that the game had to be lousy mainly due to its high system reqs and not-too great visuals.

i must say i was plesently surprised when i tried it out myself almost half a year after 1st seeing it. my first impression was "addictive" !!

Graphics : the Monolith developed engine powering this monster is a beauty. not only are the lighting/shadow effects spectacular and crisp, the physics engine is also one of the most advanced i have seen in a FPS game. sure its got all the things that Half Life 2 can do ( ever since the Havok 2 physics engine became standard with games ) but there is the added pleasure of being able to leave ones artwork in the walls. its interesting though as i havnt seen this in too many FPS games before yest its comon in other geners like flight sime, for example Bridge Commander ( released 2001 ). in that game one can knock out different sections of a starship and basically punch holes through the hull wherever one feels like ( and yes one can miss the target by firing through the hole :P ). still its is refreshing compared to the standard marks left on the walls.



The game engine is based on the Lithtech engine called Lithtech Jupiter, a revamped version of the Lithtech 3.x engine. off the record, this engine was designed by Monolith initially for Microsoft for DirectX related software and when that dint go through was later used for the memorable game No One Lives For Ever.

AI : this is where the game truly shines ! the AI scripts for each enemy are unique and make the combat more intense and hyper-realistic. enemy squads engage in proper formations when they spot ypu ( by seeing you or even your flash light ) and will take you out by lobbing in grenades and then sending men in the smoke to rekon while a small group tries to out-flank you. then there are the watchers that remain cloaked and stuck to walls, ever waiting for a passerby to ignore them so they can uncloak and withing a milisecond attack you and find a new hiding second. overall, the game never gets old with new enemies being introduced regularly to spice tings up.

Level design : the biggest weak point in the game, the level designing is reminiscent of the good old quake2 days. you simply cannot make it more boring ! not just that but in scenes the high geometry meshes used are questionable and indicate the mappers were lazy or just dint have enough time. either way even though the engine is way beter than say Half Life 2, the maps are no where as interesting looking and hardly make good use of the powerfull 3d engine powering this bugger.

Story : being a fan of the good old FMV ( full motion video ) era games such as Wing Commander, Crusader - No Regret and others, the story is in my opinion one of the most important aspects that make me wanna play the game more and more till its over. FEAR's story is , thin at the most. very little happens in the begining to explain why all the blood shed and fighting is happening but towards the end the game becomes like a thriller novel as the pieces begin to fall together. end the end i was extremely with how the story was played out and it is a prety decent one too i must add. below are snaps from the last 2 minutes in the game.





Overall a good game. i look forward to its next installment ( believe me, the story is not over, the game's ending is incomplete )